Monday, April 24, 2017

Remarkable Encounters - Part 1 : Teacher

It is said that we discover some parts of ourselves only in the context of our interaction with others. Some of these interactions are so enriching that they leave us feeling more complete, integrated, alive and human. In this series of posts, we will look at the impressions from some of the remarkable encounters I have had. To be of greater relevance, I have grouped these interactions into categories based on roles. In the first post, we will look at my impressions from an encounter with a remarkable teacher.

I have learned much
from you, and it is not limited to what you have taught.

I have taken much
from you, but I haven't diminished you. A lamp that lights another lamp Is not
diminished in the process.

You taught straight
from the heart, with your deeds amplifying your words. True integrity is the
integration of thoughts, words and actions.

You gave me the courage to accept what I have known all
along and to stand on your shoulders to see what you never been able to see.
You gave me the benefit of doubt, perhaps more than what I deserved.

You encouraged me to experiment with new behaviors and
perspectives and to discover the joy of learning . You discovered potentials in
me that I could not recognize myself.

Yes, you have often cut me very deeply, to open up my
channels of learning. But you used a surgeon's blade and not a butcher's knife
and that too with infinite care and compassion.

You enabled me to be
more of myself with all my peculiarities. For it is in our sharpness and not in
our well-roundedness that we become unique and truly human as individuals.

You have demonstrated so beautifully that the teacher and
the student can learn together.

In a world with so much information and so little
understanding, a great teacher can indeed be the bridge from sight to insight.
Yes, I do feel blessed, in more ways than one, that our paths have crossed!

4 comments:

Deeply moving piece and truly relatable as I have had the extreme good fortune of knowing a couple of such teachers. Such teachers help us touch the spark of divinity in ourselves -through their being and doing. I am also reminded of the poet Rilke who found such a teacher in Rodin the sculptor - encounters such as these are indeed transformational. Do read if you can one of Rilke's books 'Letters to a Young Poet'.

Featured Post

“I am an old man. I don’t have time for these kinds of HR interventions now”, said the senior consultant. We had requested this gentleman ...

About this blog

This blog is an attempt to arrive at the simplicity that is achieved by working through/wrestling with the complexities in life and work. While most of the posts here are on topics on which I have some sort of expertise, some of the posts might reflect a tendency to 'rush in where angels fear to tread'! There could also be cases similar to that of an 'n' dimensional 'animal' trying to swallow an 'n+m' dimensional object. The views expressed here are my own and they don't necessarily reflect the views of my employers (past, present or future!).